After The Collapse
by Mistress Daisy
Summary: Just what did happen at the end of Witch Hunter Robin? And what is in store for our young heroine and her protector?


I don't recommend that you do not read this fanfic if you have not seen the end of the Witch Hunter Robin series, as this takes place after the last episode and could possibly spoil it for you if you haven't already seen the last episode. So with that being said:

Enjoy!!

* * *

Nagira hurried along the sidewalk. A light rain was starting to fall from the cloudy skies. He was already late for his lunch date with Doujima.

Well, it actually wasn't really a date, was it? She seemed to only ask to see him when she needed some information. But that was all right with him. Being in the company of a beautiful woman wasn't such a bad thing. Especially since she had let a few tidbits of information slip, after a couple of glasses of wine, that he could use himself.

So he didn't mind sharing bits of info he had garnered either. He knew that the rest of the STN-J didn't know she slipped out to see him, and he _wasn't_ about to tell them. Even though he had worked with them to help Robin and Amon, he still considered what the STN-J did wrong, and was still quietly working against them.

Nagira entered the restaurant and spotted Doujima sitting in a dark booth by herself. So, she was actually on time today? Usually it was him that was kept waiting for a half-hour for the princess to show up. He slid into the booth opposite her.

"Sorry, I'm late." He said non-chalantly. He pulled out his pack of cigarettes and slid one out. Doujima already had a glass of wine in front of her, untouched.

"It's ok." She said. "I just ordered you a scotch." Nagira noticed she had a slip of paper entwined in her fingers.

"What's that, little lady? Something you want to show me?" He gestured to the paper. The waitress appeared with Nagira's scotch. Doujima waited until the waitress had retreated before moving. She unwound the small slip of paper from her fingers, and handed it to Nagira. He unfolded it and took a look.

"It's bank account slip. The account has no money in it. So what?" Nagira looked at her, quizzically.

"That's Amon's bank account. Seems he emptied it out early the day we attacked the Factory." She said, lifting the wineglass to her lips.

Nagira snorted. "That's old news. You're slipping. I knew that two days after. It took you what? A month?"

"You what?" she exclaimed. "You didn't tell me!"

"You didn't ask." He replied, drawing on his cigarette.

"Nagira! I can't believe you didn't tell me. I'm hurt." She said coyly.

Nagira smiled at her. "A pretty face might get you a lot, but sometimes being direct is the best way to get what you want. Listen. I know you told Solomon Headquarters that Robin and Amon died in the collapse at the Factory. I also know that if Headquarters thought they were still alive they would be actively hunting them right now. So, I know you don't want HQ to be after those two."

Doujima barely hid a gasp. She looked into her wineglass, as if she might find something there, besides wine. "They did die that day." She said quietly.

"Doujima. I know my brother. And I think I know Robin better than you think I do. No matter what crossed their path, I am sure they made it out. And if I know my brother the way I think I do, he had his car parked not far from the factory, with two suitcases packed in the trunk, one of them containing a large envelope filled with cash." He sipped his scotch.

"I am not going to say anything to Headquarters. I owe them both too much." She uttered.

"I know." He said. "I wouldn't have told you anything I know, if I hadn't thought that was the case. Fact is, you would probably be dead several times over if it wasn't for them."

"That's true enough." She admitted. "So you really think they are out there somewhere? What do you think they are doing?"

"That, I don't know. If all that stuff Karasuma told you she heard that day is true, about Robin being the 'Eve of Witches', they may be gathering witches around them, and maybe someday there will be a convergence of epic proportions. Or more likely, they are hiding somewhere, bidding their time." Nagira shot down the rest of his scotch.

"I suppose you may be right. I hope they are ok. They may be our only hope." She said finishing her wine.

"Well, what do you say we go back to my place, little lady?" He said with a grin.

She smiled back at him. He left some money on the table and they walked out into the rain together.

* * *

A hundred miles away, Robin was also smiling. She was sitting in the forest watching squirrels running around collecting nuts. Her book was open on her lap, but forgotten for the moment. The sunlight came through the canopy of trees, shattered, but warm none the less.

It was so quiet here. The nearest town was miles away. She sighed and lay back on the forest floor. She looked at the clouds passing over head, above the treetops. She began to see shapes and pictures in the clouds. She sighed.

She had begun to wonder what her purpose was. She knew there was a reason for her existence. She knew God was keeping her alive to serve him. She was waiting for a sign from him as to what she should do next.

She heard a sound to her right, and she turned her head to look. It was Amon. He was arriving back to the cabin from town. He had gone there for supplies. When they had first arrived here, he would barely let her out of his sight, for more than a few minutes, and even then, it was only when she was bathing. Lately though, he had come to the realization that she was in no rush to leave him.

About two nights ago, Robin had cooked them a meal and they sat in the cabin reading after. Robin had put her book down and broke the usual silence.

She had told him that she was aware that he wanted to protect her from anyone harming her, but that he was also there to keep her from hurting others. She also knew that if she ever became corrupted by her craft, he would kill her immediately, and without hesitation. He had just sat there and regarded her with his usual emotionless face.

She had stood up and walked to him. She knelt on the floor in front of him and placed her forehead on his knee, with her eyes cast down. She told him that what he didn't know was that she had promised her grandfather, Juliano, that if it ever came to that, she would gladly immolate herself, possibly before Amon could even react.

Amon had gasped. Robin lifted her head and looked at him. He had a look of surprise in his eyes. "You would do that?" he had asked.

She simply nodded and Amon had reached out his hand and touched her cheek with his fingertips.

* * *

A week more passed. One day Robin asked Amon what the date was. It was July. The twentieth. She sighed.

"Why, what's wrong?" he asked.

"It's just that I turned sixteen last week, and I didn't even know it." She smiled at him. "Time sort of slips away up here, doesn't it? How old are you, Amon?"

He glanced at her. "Twenty three."

"Hmm, I thought you were much older than that!" She laughed. "You are so serious! It makes you look old!"

Amon frowned at her. "I guess that is just my way."

"Amon, I know I asked you once before but, have you ever wondered if you will manifest a craft? You are already twenty-three. I mean, your mother was a witch. Do you think...?" Robin trailed off when she saw the look in his eyes. He was looking at her coldly.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say something wrong." She said looking down.

Amon sighed. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't get angry with you for your curiousness. I suppose someday I might manifest a craft. It has always been possible. But I am not looking forward to the day."

Robin looked back at him. "Why? Do you still think I am evil because I can use the craft?"

"No, but I think it is different for me." He said.

"Why?" she asked

"Stop it Robin, I don't want to get into it." He said.

"But Amon, how is it different? You are so dedicated to keeping me on the straight and narrow; don't you think you could keep yourself that way? It is your morals who make you who you are, not the craft." She said

He remained silent, but his face was pensive.

Later he left for town, and Robin set herself to the task of cleaning the cabin. It was her habit to clean, especially when she was thinking. It carried over from her days in the convent, doing her daily chores. Thoughts swirled around in her mind. Perhaps Amon was fated to be more than just her protector. If she was to be the Eve of witches, perhaps he was to be the Adam. 'What am I thinking?!' She thought to herself. Crazy talk! Amon would not think of her that way. Even though she might think of him, in her most private moments.

She dare not tell him just exactly how it was she felt for him. She couldn't tell him how destroyed she had been when he had pushed her away from him, into the secret passage, to save her and he had gotten shot. She couldn't tell him that she had been dying inside, when she didn't know where he was, or if he was well. She couldn't tell him that she had spent hours sitting awake upstairs at Nagira's office, just praying for him to be safe. So couldn't tell him how happy she had been to see him that day he came for her, even if he had been pointing his gun at her. She would have gladly let him shoot her. That would have been preferable to living without him in her life.

She was scrubbing the tub, and she realized that she had been scrubbing the same spot for several minutes now. She sighed and began to run the water. As she rinsed the tub, she thought about Toko, her former roommate, and how she had been hurt in an attack on Robin. Robin wondered if Toko had been able to move on, after the hospital and the psychiatric help. She hoped so. Robin felt badly about bringing pain into that nice girl's life, but she supposed that Toko's father, Ziazen, held just as much of the blame for Toko's pain, as Robin did.

Robin finished cleaning the bathroom, and moved to straightening out the beds. Amon's bed always looked like it wasn't slept in. She could never figure it out. Had he had not slept, or just had a habit of making the bed as soon as he got up? He always was awake when she got up, so she had no idea.

As Robin was putting in a load of towels into the dryer she heard Amon's car returning from town. He entered the house carrying several boxes.

"What's that? I thought you just went for some food." She inquired.

He actually smiled at her. She almost took a step back, because it was such an unusual way for him to behave, but returned the smile instead. "This is the food." He handed her a plastic bag. "And these are for you." He gestured to the boxes.

"For...me?" She asked. She walked to the table and noticed that two of the boxes were wrapped in bright paper, albeit wrapped badly. She gently placed a hand on one of the packages.

"Yes, for you." Amon put his hand on her shoulder, and reached down and kissed her cheek. "Happy Birthday, Robin. Go ahead and open them."

Robin blushed from the kiss, and she could hardly concentrate on opening the packages, she was still so stunned by his gesture of the gifts and the kiss. The first package was a portable CD player, and the second was a CD of Italian opera.

"Amon, I love it!" she said.

"I thought it might remind you of home." He said watching her look it over, with what appeared to be slight happiness on his face. "Open the big one too."

"That's for me too?" She asked. Amon nodded.

She ripped it open. Inside was an espresso maker. "Oh Amon! You shouldn't have done this! I am sure it was very expensive!"

"I wanted to. I figured you haven't had a good espresso since the last time you were at Harry's. Why don't you set it up and have one?" He said. She looked at him and she was sure she would characterize the look on his face as bemused. What is going on with him?

She set about setting up the espresso maker. There was a set of two demitasse cups in the box. "Would you like one too?" she asked him.

"I don't know. Isn't it very...bitter?" He asked.

"I suppose it can be. I developed a taste for it though. Why don't you try it?" She said packing the basket with grounds.

"Alright then." He replied.

She made two espressos and set one in front of him. He sipped it and grimaced. "I don't know how you drink this stuff." He produced a bottle of whiskey out of a brown paper bag, and proceeded to fill a cup with ice from the freezer and poured some of the brown liquid over the ice.

Robin just laughed quietly.

"I actually have something serious to discuss with you too, Robin." He said, his tone and demeanor completely switching back to his normal stoic facade. She stopped laughing and regarded him curiously.

"It is about what you asked me earlier about my own powers. There is a reason why I think I haven't manifested powers yet. You see, I was with the STN-J for almost all of my adult life. Zaizen recruited me shortly after my eighteenth birthday. Shortly after he gave us the Orbo pendants to wear." He swirled the liquor in his glass, watching the ice melt, more than actually drinking it.

"Orbo." Robin said, almost a whisper. "The Orbo not only protected the team from other witch's powers, but also suppressed any powers anyone on the team had. Which was why I refused to wear it, after joining the Japan branch."

"Yes. And it is also the reason I never took mine off." He said.

"Never took it off? Does that mean?" She looked at him, almost shocked. Amon reached into his pants pocket, and produced his Orbo pendant. He held it in his palm as Robin stared at it, as if it would explode. They both quietly regarded the pendant for what seemed like an age.

"What are you going to do with it?" She asked.

"I think I have three choices. One is to put it back into my pocket. Two is to put it into a safety deposit box, in case we ever need it. And third...." He stopped speaking and sighed. Robin looked away from the pendant and into his eyes. He was looking at her very directly.

"Third choice is to give it to you, and let you destroy it with your power." His eyes were intensely boring into hers. She couldn't break his gaze. "What do you think, Robin?"

There were several moments of silence as Robin thought about what to say. Their eyes were locked with the Orbo pendant as almost an invisible force in between them.

"I think that it is your choice to make. But you understand what your choices mean, don't you?" She said, finally breaking his gaze, and sipping her espresso. He remained silent for a moment and Robin sat with her hands in her lap, eyes downward.

"Tell me." He said simply. He was still holding the pendant in his palm.

"To put it back in your pocket means you don't trust yourself. To put it in a safety deposit box means you don't trust me." She sipped her espresso again, avoiding his undeviating gaze.

"And the third choice?" He asked.

"To allow me to destroy it means that you completely trust yourself, me, and our ability to do what is right." She said. She couldn't look back into his eyes. She was too nervous. Her stomach was flipping wildly and even though the espresso usually calmed her nerves, it wasn't helping now.

"I'm going to have to think about it." He said flatly.

Her heart sunk in her chest and she felt for a moment like she couldn't breathe.

"I understand." She said. "Thank you for the birthday gifts. I really love all of them." She stood up and put her cup and saucer into the sink. She went into her bedroom and shut the door, leaving him sitting at the table, alone.

She opened the new CD player and put the opera CD in it. She lay down on the bed and listened quietly. She fell asleep shortly after, with her cheeks wet with tears.

* * *

She awoke hours later, and her room was pitch dark. All the lights in the house were out and she could only see the clock glowing red next to her bed, 2:37 A.M. She fumbled around for the light switch. Finally, she found it and flipped on the light.

Just as she turned, she realized there was someone sitting in the chair next to her bed. She let out a piercing scream.

And then she realized who it was. "Amon! What are you doing?" She exclaimed holding a pillow to her chest.

"I sit here at night and think." He answered, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

"What? In here?" She said, still clutching the pillow.

"Yes, I sit here and think." He repeated.

"Why?" She asked, relaxing slightly.

"First, I was keeping an eye on you, and then I just came here to think, because it is peaceful." He said.

"Don't you ever sleep?" Robin asked. She was still confused.

"I drift in and out. But mostly I think." He was sitting, leaning against the back of the chair with his elbows on the armrests and his hands on his thighs.

"What do you think about?" She asked.

"The future. The past. You. Me. The Orbo. Tonight the Orbo especially, after what you said to me." He said. He reached into his pocket and pulled the pendant out again. "I have felt badly for keeping the fact that I still had it from you. Are you angry?"

"No."

"I heard you crying." He said. She looked at him, embarrassed. "Strangely enough, it helped me make my decision."

She just continued to look at him. He held the hand out to her that held the Orbo. She shook her head. She wouldn't touch it. "Then come outside with me and let's close this chapter." He said. She nodded.

They went out into the clearing in front of the cabin. Amon took the pendant and threw it up, high in the air. Robin took one look at it, and it exploded in a bright flash. It was completely destroyed. Not a single fragment fell back to the Earth.

Amon followed Robin back into the house and into her bedroom. She sat on the edge of the bed and he sat back down in the chair.

"Amon?"

"Yes?"

"Would you please come over here and lie down with me?" she asked. Her heart was pounding so hard she could feel her pulse in her fingertips.

He looked at her quizzically but he got up and walked over to the bed and lay down above the covers with his boots still on. Robin reached over and turned off the light. The moon had come out from behind the clouds and she could see him still, in silhouette. She lay down and put her head on his chest and her arm across him. She could hear his heart beat quicken.

He sighed and put his arm around her and relaxed back against the pillow. She figured he probably had not had a good nights sleep since he had come back to Japan after the attack on the STN-J.

A few minutes past and his breathing slowed. Thinking he had fallen asleep Robin began to relax a little, so she was surprised when his free hand came up and started to fiddle with the ribbons in her hair. He pulled the ribbons out and her hair fell loose around her face. She didn't know whether to pretend to be awake or asleep, so she just lay there and let him do it. He put his hand in her hair at the nape of her neck and left it there. He moved and kissed her on the top of her head. She was surprised, but was savoring the delicious chill it sent rocketing through her.

He said nothing but sighed again and put his head back on the pillow. Soon they were both sleeping the peaceful sleep of one who has had a burden removed from their shoulders.

* * *

A couple of days later Amon was ready to share his plan with Robin. They would wait a week or two more, then they would head back to Tokyo. They would not contact anyone from the STN-J or even Nagira. Amon knew a few contacts, that he knew didn't even know his name, that could procure him fake passports. They would move to the United States. There they would find a place to live and start work on their next step.

Robin was nervous about this plan. Going back to Tokyo was dangerous, but they might have no other choice. She pondered this plan and its possible shortcomings as she sat on the porch steps, watching Amon check the oil in his car.

What if one of the STN-J hunters saw them? What if somehow they were able to trace them through airline cameras or the informants? She supposed there were many things that could go wrong, but they couldn't hide in the woods forever, even though it was blissfully peaceful out there.

"Damn it." Amon cursed under his breath, wiping his hands on a rag.

"What is it, Amon?" She asked.

"There is an oil leak. I'm going to have to patch it, or the car may not make it all the way back to Tokyo." He said. He opened the trunk and got out the jack. He jacked the car up and started to slide under it.

Robin watched from the porch with curiosity, but soon tired of watching his feet as tinkering sounds came from under the car. She opened the book that was on her lap and tried to concentrate on the words, but her mind kept slipping back to Amon.

He had taken to sleeping beside her night after night. He was never anything other than gentlemanly, even though she had begun to wish that he would take the initiative and just kiss her already. She spent long afternoons staring at the clouds wondering what it would be like if Amon actually kissed her on her mouth. Sometimes when he would talk to her she found herself staring at his lips and not even hearing what he was saying.

She had begun to wonder if maybe he was restraining himself because of her craft. Or was it her age? She wasn't a normal girl, and was more a woman than other sixteen year olds, but maybe he though she was still just a child. Or what if he didn't think she was pretty? She knew she wasn't ugly, but she certainly was not as sophisticated as Toko had been, and she knew that Amon had briefly been involved with her.

She sighed still staring at her book. There were so many "what ifs". Her biggest concern was that he would never feel about her the way he felt about him. He had proven that he trusted her that night when she destroyed the Orbo, but perhaps she would just have to resign herself that Amon was just her protector. Was she being a foolish child, with unrealistic expectations of a man who was her friend, companion, and watchdog, but nothing more?

Suddenly there was a loud screech, as the jack gave way and Amon's car started to come crashing down on. Robin jumped up, not really sure what action she could take without hurting Amon, when she realized that the car was slowly rising. Amon was lying on the ground, arms out stretched before him and palms open, his eyes flashing, as he lifted the car up and away from him, with nothing but the power of his mind.

Robin watched, breathlessly as the car levitated away from Amon, and was set down about 20 yards away with a soft thud. She ran to him and knelt on the ground beside him. He was breathing heavy and looked at her with a look of utter disbelief.

"I...don't...I..." He said looking from his hands, to Robin's face, and back again. His face was all dirty and he had been cut and scratched in several places before his craft had come roaring to fruition and saved him.

"Shh." Robin said. She pulled him up and put her arms around his neck and held onto him. He held onto her and shuddered. "Are you hurt?" she whispered.

"No." He whispered back. They stayed like that, clutching each other for several minutes.

"Come inside and I'll clean you up." Robin said. She helped him up and walked him into the kitchen where she sat him in a chair and regarded his countenance. He looked pale and in shock. She figured the best thing she could do would be to clean up his cuts and get him to lay down for a while.

Amon remained silent. He stared straight ahead at nothing in particular. Robin fetched the first aid kit from the bathroom closet. She washed his face and hands with a face cloth, as Amon sat there motionless. Robin was completely at a loss for words. She tried to get him to look at her, but he was staring blankly. Luckily, it didn't appear that anything needed stitches.

She put a bandage on the cut on his forehead. "Amon, say something. You are scaring me." She said quietly.

His trance seemed to break and he turned his face to look at Robin. "Well, I guess that answers your question." He said unsmiling.

Robin gave him a pained smile. "Are you hurt anywhere else?"

Amon lifted his hand up and placed it on his left pectoral muscle. "It hurts here too." He said.

"Well, take off your shirt and let me look at it." She turned to the kit, and pulled out the instant cold pack. She figured he probably had a bruise on his chest.

She turned back to him, and felt for a moment like all the air had left the room. He was sitting at the table, shirtless and legs apart, looking at her. She realized she had never seen him without his shirt on, and although she knew he was strong, she hadn't realized that underneath his clothes he was all sinewy muscle and pale skin.

She approached him slowly, and looked at the area on his chest he had indicated and noticed that it was red and a bit raised. She ran her fingers over it and then placed the ice pack there. She started to move away when Amon grabbed her wrist. She gasped and looked him in the eye.

"Do I frighten you Robin?" He asked.

"No." She answered.

"Have I frightened you before? Like when I was hunting you?" He asked.

"No. I believed in your heart, Amon. I was not afraid of you." She answered.

"Do you trust me? Even now?" He asked.

"Yes. Maybe more." She answered.

"Do you love me?" He asked. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Amon......I don't know if now is a good time for..." She hesitated.

He interrupted her. "Now is the perfect time." His grip on her wrist tightened although he wasn't hurting her. "Answer me. Are you in love with me, Robin?"

Robin was trembling. She looked to Amon as if she was almost about to faint. She lowered her lashes, and managed to whisper "Yes."

Amon released her wrist. "I see." Robin placed her other hand over the wrist Amon had just been grasping. Neither of them moved.

"Did I hurt you?" He asked.

"No." She whispered. She was rooted to the spot. She didn't know what to do or what to say. Finally she exhaled and looked at him. He was regarding her with a gaze she could not read. His face didn't betray any emotion, but his eyes seemed soft, almost watery.

"Why?" He asked. Her gaze was puzzled. "Why did you have to fall in love with me, Robin?"

She sank to her knees and covered her face with her hands. Tears began to collect in her eyes. Was this his way of telling her he could never return her emotions?

Outside, the sky clouded over.

She held in her tears as best she could, but they were threatening to spill over. She didn't want to cry in front him, not for him to see that her heart felt on the verge of splitting in two. She gulped in a breath and said, "You may as well ask me why the sun comes up in the East everyday."

She felt Amon touching her wrists, as he pulled her hands from her face. He cupped her chin and moved her so that he was looking at her face. A lone tear snaked its way down her cheek.

His expression had softened to match his eyes. "Don't cry. I just don't understand how you can love me, with all the horrible things I have done to you. I tried to kill you Robin, and still you love me. Why fall in love with me, with all my sour expressions and harsh words?"

Robin blinked. Another tear escaped.

"You have to understand Robin, that I have always been generally distrustful of people. And then you come into my life and accepted me at face value. You never expected anything from me, like everyone else. I found myself liking you, even though I wanted to hate you. The very first time I saw you, you saved my life. And I wanted to despise you. I kept you at arm's length on purpose." He moved his thumb across her cheeks, wiping the tears away.

"But you proved me wrong. You had this aura about you that made me want to be close to you. That made me trust you. That was why I couldn't allow you to be hurt and why I turned on everyone I held allegiance to and gave you my allegiance instead." He ran his fingers across her lips.

"And now we have been here together for months, and I have watched you. I have watched you staring at the clouds, and I have watched you sleep. For as fearful as I am of your powers, you have the most kind and beautiful heart. And again I was denying my true feelings for you to myself. I guess some habits are hard to break." He looked away from her and to the window. The sun had returned.

He stood up and the ice pack fell to the floor. He held his hand out to Robin and helped her up off the floor. He put his arms around her and pulled her close. She tucked her head under his chin and returned the embrace.

He could feel her face burning against his chest. "I don't know if it is a good idea for us to fall in love, Robin, but I can't help myself."

Robin lifted her head and looked at him. "Amon."

He leaned down and kissed her deeply. Robin felt like her heart would hammer right through her ribs. She held onto him for fear that she would pass out on the spot. It felt like the blood in her veins was racing around her body at three times its normal speed.

Amon pulled away. "What are we going to do, Robin?"

She couldn't answer. Her head was still racing and her heart was beating wildly. She reached up and pulled his face down and kissed him again. Amon made a surprised sound. When she pulled away he actually laughed. She wasn't sure she had ever heard him laugh before.

He held her and kissed the top of her head. He sighed. She pressed her ear against his chest and listened to the strong sound of his heart pounding.


End file.
